Pulse racing, Rajas Apte (12) grips his bike. He stares down a 70-degree, near-vertical descent in the French Alps above Samoëns—a rugged, rocky trail scarred by landslides—nothing like the drops he has faced before. With no clear path, he and his coach face a “trail closed” sign at the top. Despite the warning, his coach says, “Trust yourself more than you can trust me,” to Rajas, before launching down. 

“I was laughing, but I was scared out of my mind,” Rajas said. “But I trusted [my coach]. This guy has taught four world champions—he knows what he’s doing. At that point, I had to stay composed, because if you fall, you’re just gonna keep rolling down the bottom. That’s one of the coolest things about riding Samoëns, where you have the abilities, so it’s all about execution.”

The French Alps differ sharply from the Bay Area trails where Rajas began mountain biking during the pandemic. A frosh water polo player unable to practice due to lockdowns, he bought a $200 eBay bike after noticing friends riding. This purchase launched his passion for a new sport.

Rajas’ first riding experience came at Coyote Ridge, a trail in Fremont that has a grueling 1500-foot ascent. 

“It was a really new experience for me,” Rajas said. “On the road, everything is really stable, very predictable. But I’d never ridden a bike somewhere on the dirt, so there was this whole new element of instability. I’ve never done that much climbing before.”

Despite the challenge, Rajas found himself engaged and began learning many key lessons that would be instrumental to his development. 

“You have to be forward-thinking, looking far ahead to see what the trail conditions are like,” Rajas said.  “You have to adapt to it. It was terrible, but very fun and rewarding at the same time.”

Rajas continued chasing tougher trails and dove into competitive racing. In his freshman season, Rajas placed fifth at the NorCal State Championships, a success in a league known for producing Olympians. 

“I was afraid I wouldn’t really have enough base training to be where I wanted to be, but I ended up that season with fifth place at state championships,” Rajas said. “We had an extremely competitive year. The talent is pretty crazy out here because, there’s a lot of extremely, extremely fast racers who. That was that result made me the most happy because it was the least expected”

Rajas’ teammate from biking team Black Mountain Composite Grace Mills noticed Rajas’ discipline and perseverance, which he has maintained throughout his biking career.

“He really dedicated himself to training every day, doing everything he needed to do to get faster, and he moved up in his placement a lot just over one season,” Grace said. “He has a really cool attitude around biking, as he can be very dedicated and he really likes his sport. His mentality and how he approaches the sport in a positive way is unique.”

Rajas’ biking journey started with cross-country, then moved to downhill–two extremes with distinct thrills and risks. He considers the latter the most thrilling of the two, involving a timed-lap race down a mountain. Because of the risks involved, riders equip themselves with full body-armor to protect themselves from injuries.

“You’re careening down a mountain as fast as you can,” Rajas said. “The trail is super narrow, extremely steep, rocky and rooty, so if you’re stuck without a bike, it’s almost impossible to walk up or down. You have to be ready to take a massive hit, maybe fall 20-30 feet. But it’s incredibly rewarding. You’re threading the needle the whole time, and it’s the best adrenaline rush.”

Balancing biking with school and other commitments has honed Rajas’ discipline.

“Just getting to do training — there’s so much scheduling that goes into that,” Rajas said. “You have to know your plan and make a training plan beforehand with your coach. Now I do that for academics too. I didn’t use to, but I’ll sit on Saturday or Sunday and plan out my whole next week of academics, so I know exactly what to expect and how to schedule it.”

Mountain biking challenges Rajas to build resilience and push his limits, demanding focus during tough rides.

“When you’re riding and you feel like you can’t take it anymore, that’s when you push, and you go faster,” Rajas said. “Mentally speaking, it helps a lot to stay composed under very stressful situations. You just have to think on the fly and make sure you have a really level head about it. I’ve applied those skills a lot in everywhere.”

Now eyeing college, Rajas plays to race collegiately and abroad with friends. His advice for newcomers reflects his evolution in the sport.

“I used to be very risk-averse when I got into mountain biking, and now I’m definitely not anywhere near as risk-averse as I used to be,” Rajas said. “If you’re not confident in your abilities, build your skills one step at a time. Never rush yourself into something you don’t feel prepared for. There are easy skills that feel dumb at first, but when you get out on the trail, that’s what makes all the difference.”